
In Defense of Bad Cards
22-12-2025 | 56 Min.
View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk about bad cards. Why do “bad cards” even exist? Can’t all the cards just be good?Our hosts talk about why they like playing with bad Magic cards and how Cube gives them the flexibility to play with whatever cards they like regardless of how they stack up to the other 30,000 cards in the game. They talk about ways they conceptualize a bad card in different formats and the inevitability of their existence. They also reflect on the differences between thinking about Magic as a player vs a designer and how player mentality and hamper design thinking. And also, for some reason, wolves.Discussed in this episode:Mark Rosewater’s When Cards go BadParkers Article on Bad CardsThe Alpha Myth Episode of Unexplainable about Alpha WolvesAndy’s Take Five Brainstorming Videos on YouTubeThe Oldest SchoolThe Ball PitTurbo CubeIf you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro3:55 - Bad Cards6:42 - What is a Bad Card22:05 - The Fundamental Constants of Magic29:44 - In Defense of Bad Cards35:18 - Bad Cards in Cube Design43:58 - Combat is Beautiful49:30 - Recontextualizing Bad Cards

Modal Mechanics 002 — Some Modal Mechanics Evoke a Strong Response
15-12-2025 | 54 Min.
View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony continue their roughly chronological journey through Magic’s modal mechanics. From transmute, to evoke, to reinforce and everything in between they talk about every mechanic they’d categorize as “modal” from the prospective of gameplay and Cube design.But first, they have to revisit their age old question of whether or not Lightning Bolt counts as a modal spell.Discussed in this episode:Modal Mechanics 001Colin Furze on YouTubeDrive to Work PodcastTake Five Video with JaneTake Five Video with with Ryan OverturfIf you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro1:04 - Main Topic, Modal Part 27:40 - Transmute15:06 - Forecast20:24 - Evoke27:59 - Planeswalkers33:54 - The Moment of Modality38:37 - Sagas vs Planeswalkers41:48 - Lorwyn Commands47:25 - Reinforce

Recent Weekly Cube Drafts Recap, Turbo and Mystery
08-12-2025 | 58 Min.
View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk through some of their recent drafts from their weekly Cube night. They talk about what they drafted and their impressions of the cubes, including Anthony’s Turbo Cube and a mystery cube brought by a new participant in Cube night.Discussed in this episode:Turbo CubeIf you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro1:49 - Main Topic Start5:24 - Turbo Cube32:56 - Mystery Cube50:51 - Takeaways from Mystery Cube57:06 - Wrap Up

“Take Five” — Designing a Minimal Deckbuilding Desert Cube
01-12-2025 | 1 u. 4 Min.
View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk about Andy’s latest Cube design concept. Inspired by The Ball Pit among other projects, Andy’s goal is to design a desert cube where players play all but 5 cards from their pool. In other words, after the draft, player simply “Take Five” cards out of their pool and get shuffling. Andy’s goal is to push players even harder to make something out of the cards they draft even if they don’t obviously stand well on their own. Our hosts talk about the design process, challenges they anticipate, and potential solutions to this draft structure.Discussed in this episode:Take Five Song Recorded by the Dave Brubeck QuartetTake Five Andy’s Emerging Cube IdeaThe Ball Pit100 OrnithoptersAndy’s Take Five Brainstorming Videos on YouTubeGoblin Game, mono-Red No-Deckbuilding Cube by ArloPack One Slick Ones - Episode #20 including Arlo’s Explanation of Goblin GameDegenerate Micro CubeSacred GeometryBun Magic CubeIf you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro7:23 - Andy's New Cube Concept: "Take Five"26:33 - Complexity Level30:02 - Mana Fixing with Minimal Deckbuilding35:25 - Cube Design Timeline39:59 - Categories of Cards in the Cube47:04 - Future Abandoned Ideas58:26 - Wrap Up

The Top 10 Myths About Cube
24-11-2025 | 1 u.
View all cards mentioned in this episodeAndy and Anthony talk about and dispel what they see as the most prevalent myths about Cube drafting and design. While the format has seen a ton of growth in the last few years, it’s still not uncommon for people to think of Cube as primarily defined by the MTGO Cube. Other myths like Cube being only for the most enfranchised players or requiring exactly 8 people are still pervasive.Discussed in this episode:The Chive GuyDouble-slit ExperimentThe Top 5 Casual Formats Of Magic: The Gathering (not commander) from the Tolarian Community College on YouTubeStone Soup Draft Explanation on YouTubeMany Ways to Draft with Less than 8 Players ExplainedEpisode 277: Building the Lords of Limited Cube with Ben and Ethan of the LOL PodcastEpisode 206: The Joy of Gaming with Richard Garfield with Richard Garfield, Magic’s creatorBroadcast Shuffle: The Fast Method for Shuffling a CubeThe Magic Multiverse ProjectCubes Mentioned:MTGO Vintage Cube Cube List on Cube CobraAndy’s 100 OrnithoptersAquaone Powered a Heavily Altered Powered Vintage CubeAnthony’s Turbo CubeAndy’s Neoclassical CubeAndy’s Sacred GeometryAnthony’s Regular CubeCompanion CubeIf you’d like to show your support for the show, please consider backing Lucky Paper on Patreon or leaving us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen.Check us out on Twitch and YouTube for paper Cube gameplay.You can find the hosts’ Cubes on Cube Cobra:Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” CubeYou can find both your hosts in the MTG Cube Talk Discord. Send in questions to the show at [email protected] or our p.o. box:Lucky PaperPO Box 4855Baltimore, MD 21211Musical production by DJ James Nasty.Timestamps0:00 - Intro4:06 - Myth 1: All Cube is Vintage Cube8:40 - Myth 2: Cubes Must Contain the Most Powerful Cards Available12:10 - Cube vs. Commander15:13 - Myth 3: Cube is Expensive29:28 - Myth 4: Cube is for Enfranchised Players Only33:02 - Myth 5: You Need 8 People to Play Cube40:12 - Myth 6: 360 Card Cubes Get Repetitive43:48 - Myth 7: Your Cube Has to Be Perfectly Balanced48:04 - Myth 8: Shuffling is Difficult and Time Consuming48:43 - Myth 9: If You Like Commander You Should Build a Commander Cube50:28 - Myth 10: Your Cube Needs a Gimmick57:21 - Listener Message from Nick



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